"Wow that was more fun than I expected. I think we can call it a day."

Marcus lowered his sword, breathing heavier than usual. It was the middle of the morning on Monday, and he had been sparring with Labrys in the training room they had met for the first time. She had brought her weapon this time around and Marcus was impressed with the size of it; an axe as easily as tall as her own body with twin-blades on both sides of the end of the grip. Obviously, Labrys was easily able to match Marcus blow for blow.

After trading shots for over an hour, Marcus finally decided to put an end to their 9th bout. Both he and Labrys had won 4 of their previous fights, and had ended up even on the last one.

"Alright, if you say so. I gotta tell ya, this is the first time anyone has managed to match my strength. Not even my sister Aigis can match hits with me. It's kinda fun being able to spar with someone like this," Labrys said, smiling as she retracted her axe into a compartment in her arm.

"Yeah, after the training I had in martial arts, acting courses and then with the Shadow Operatives, I've learned to take and give a lot of punishment, if you know what I mean," Marcus replied, smiling back at Labrys. "Your style is simple, yet very strong. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

At the question, Labrys' smile faded, and a slightly dejected look crossed her face. "I…I was programmed with that technique by the Kirijo Group before…before Mitsuru was in charge," she mumbled, not meeting Marcus' eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't…" Marcus began, hoping to make amends for making Labrys depressed.

"It's alright, you didn't know. It was a harmless question, but it brings back memories…bad ones…" Labrys said, still looking at her feet.

Marcus waited, feeling this was a sensitive subject and not wanting to say something that would upset Labrys even more.

"Alright, I've made up my mind," Labrys finally said, meeting Marcus' eyes at last. "If you want, I will tell ya my story. I know you've waited a while to hear it, and I think you deserve to know."

"If that's what you want, I'm happy to listen," Marcus responded kindly, motioning to the chairs set against the one wall. After putting away his sword, Marcus followed Labrys and sat next to her with a reassuring smile.

"So…how much do ya already know about me?" Labrys asked, shifting slightly in her chair as she looked at Marcus nervously.

"Well, I know that you're an Anti-Shadow Weapon designed by the Kirijo Group, and that you're an older model than Aigis. And then there was an incident where you were stolen…I don't know any of the details as I wasn't a part of the rescue operation," Marcus said slowly, looking at Labrys carefully to see her reaction.

"Heh, there's a bit more to my past than that," Labrys responded, running a hand through her hair slowly in a form of uncomfortable nervousness. "To make sure I was the best weapon possible, the guys who built me had me fight other androids with my same design. I killed so many of them…including one of my sisters that I became very close to. I broke out at one point, wrecking the place as I went, but they got me back and shut me down." The pain was so intense in Labrys' eyes that it was as though she were going through it all over again.

"That must have been hell on earth!" Marcus said horrified by what he had just heard. "I can't even imagine how you made it through that without going insane…"

"Yeah, after giving me a device called Plume of Dusk, I was able to access human emotions, and I think my mind shut down from all the pain I felt," Labrys mumbled, looking down at her lap. "Anyway, I'm not sure how much time went by while I was deactivated, but when I woke up I found myself in this school that I know now was made in the TV world. I set myself up as the school's student council president, and watched as other people took part in this tournament called the 'P-1 Grand Prix'. Turns out my Shadow had set it all up to punish the world for the pain it had put me through."

"Wow, what happened then? And do you know who put you into the Midnight Channel?" Marcus inquired, marveling at the girl sitting next to him.

"Unfortunately, I don't know who put me in there, although Mitsuru has been lookin' into that non-stop since we got back," Labrys responded, her gaze shifted from her lap to her feet. "Anyway, once I found out it was my Shadow that started the awful tournament me and the other folks there confronted her. It was a hard fight, but we stopped her... And at the end if it all, I finally accepted her and she became my Persona Ariadne. Apparently, someone tried to take control of me after that, but I was saved and then joined the Shadow Operatives."

There was a moment of silence, than Labrys looked up nervously. Marcus had been quiet for a while now and she was getting somewhat desperate for a response from him. "Wh-what is it? Could you please say somethin? I can't bear-"

Marcus leaned over and gave Labrys a huge hug, surprising her into her own form of silence.

"Another thing about me you should know is that I'm a fan of hugs," Marcus said, squeezing the robotic girl gently. "I don't have the words to say what's in my heart, but I want you to know I will never use you, degrade you, or abandon you ever. I will be the friend you can talk to, the brother you can look up to, and the person who will always listen to you no matter what. You are not alone in this world, and you never will be again."

After a moment, Labrys hugged back and started crying into Marcus' shoulder. Marcus stroked her hair, letting her release all of her emotions out after bottling them up for years.

"…Thank you," Labrys finally whispered taking a deep breath and pulling away to look Marcus in the eyes. "I never told anyone my full story. It means so much for you to accept me for who I am."

"Of course," Marcus replied, smiling at Labrys. "I'm just grateful that you were willing to confide in me. I can only imagine the hatred you must have for humans after everything that has happened to you."

"Yeah, I got a lotta hatred for em'…but I came to realize not all humans are the same. Mitsuru and some other people helped me understand that," Labrys said, a look of dark determination and relief crossing her face. "Like you told me, I'm not gonna let my past trap me. I'm gonna start looking to the future."

"That's the spirit," Marcus responded, pulling away and leaning back in his chair. The duo were silent for a few seconds before Marcus shifted his foot slightly. "You know, we share some similarities with our pasts…I too ended up hurting someone I cared about."

"Really? Who was it?" Labrys asked, looking at Marcus with concern.

"It was…a friend of mine. I considered him one of the only friends I had at that time," Marcus muttered, looking down at his own lap. "I was bullied a lot when I was a kid. No one understood me, and everyone made fun of me because I saw the world differently from them. I wouldn't admit it to myself, but I was really depressed for a long time; what was my purpose in the world if the world wouldn't accept me for who I am?"

"I don't know the answer to that; It's sad to think that people still condemn others for being outside of the ordinary," Labrys said sadly, sympathy plain in her voice and on her face.

"Makes you wonder what people must think of themselves to do this to others, if they think at all," Marcus lamented, looking back at Labrys. "Anyway, it was in middle school when I met him. His name was...Jason. There was something about him; we understood each other, and I finally found someone who accepted me without judging me. It was at summer camp that we first saw each other, and from that point on we were as thick as thieves. He was the energetic one while I was the quiet one, but I always enjoyed the time we spent together." Marcus smiled wistfully at that point, thinking back of the fond memories they had made.

"So…what happened? You make it sound like he isn't around anymore," Labrys asked slowly, glancing at Marcus carefully.

"Well…it happened nine months ago, right before I joined the Shadow Operatives," Marcus replied, his smile vanishing and a hollow look coming to his face and voice. "He had just graduated from college, and we were going to meet up with some friends of his and mine. We were heading into town when…do you know about the event called the Dark Hour?"

"I heard a little bit about it, something like an alternate reality of some kind?" Labrys said hesitantly, dreading what was coming next.

"Yeah, you could say that. It's an extended period of time that most people aren't aware of," Marcus said grimly, a dark edge creeping into his voice now. "It was a result of experiments conducted by the old Kirijo Group. Persona users can travel through this reality consciously, while normal people can't. If a person without a Persona is put into the Dark Hour, there's a chance that they will be turned into…Shadows."

"That's…that's awful!" Labrys cried, looking at Marcus in shock.

"Jason and I were in downtown when it happened…we were thrust into the Dark Hour. While I was okay besides being confused at what happened, my friend…he was…he turned into a Shadow. I watched as my best friend was drowned in dark liquid, and turned into a monster right next to me. I backed away, half out of my mind in fear, when the thing that used to be Jason attacked me." Tears started running down Marcus' face; tears that fell despite how hard he tried to hold it back.

"How…how did you…" Labrys faltered, seeing Marcus in a whole new light.

"How did I survive? Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate? I'm not entirely sure myself. Right before the Shadow got me, there was a blinding flash of light, and I felt this energy ran through my entire body. When I could see again, the thing that was my friend started to melt in front of me, fading away into nothingness. It was at that point that Mitsuru and a few of the other Shadow Operatives arrived." Marcus took a deep breath, than started wiping his eyes.

"What happened then?" Labrys inquired, her own mind reeling at the nightmare Marcus had endured.

"Well, they had seen what I did, and were amazed by it. Apparently potential Persona users have never been able to do what I did, as far as they knew. I was almost completely shut down at that point, so I didn't hear much of what they talked about. Eventually the Dark Hour ended, and then I saw Jake lying unconscious on the ground where I had destroyed the Shadow. It seemed he had fallen into a coma, and after calling the paramedics, Mitsuru took me aside. She said that while I was in danger, I also had the potential to become stronger, and that she could help me acquire the power needed to protect myself and others. She offered for me to become a member of the Shadow Operatives, but at first I declined. I wanted to find out what happened to my best friend, and see if he would be alright." Marcus blinked as a fresh wave of tears slid out of the corners of his eyes.

"Did your friend make it?" Labrys asked, fearing what the answer would be.

"Few days later, Jason finally woke up...but he had lost all of his memories of me. It broke my heart to see him and not have him recognize who I was. His family moved away soon afterward, hoping a change of scenery would help his recovery. It was at that point that I agreed to Mitsuru's offer. As much as it tortured my soul to lose my greatest friend in the world, I made up my mind that I would never let anyone else feel that pain. By the end of that week, I had officially joined the Shadow Operatives and...well you know the rest." Marcus gazed at Labrys with his eyes empty of anything but pain and despair.

Another gap of silence spread between the two, then Labrys leaned over and gave Marcus a hug.

"I thought no one could understand my pain, but you've proven me wrong," Labrys murmured, giving him support through physical contact. "If all my suffering has led to meeting you, then perhaps it was worth it after all. I accept your past, just as you've accepted mine, and we'll work together for a better tomorrow. If two broken people like us can find solace in each other, then perhaps there's hope for the future yet."

Marcus hugged back tightly and shook slightly as he wept silently, with Labrys gently holding him and letting the emotions run, just as he had done for her.

After a few minutes, Marcus pulled back and kissed Labrys on the forehead.

"You are a blessing in my life," Marcus said gently, smiling into the face of the girl before him. "No matter what may happen, I will cherish this day for the rest of my life. I now consider you to be one of my dearest friends, and would be honored if you felt the same way about me."

"I agree with everything you said, and I also think of you as a dear friend," Labrys replied, smiling back at the young man in front of her. "The day I forsake you is the day that Hell freezes over. I'll trust and support you even if the whole world is against you. You can count on me to watch your back, always."

"That's all I could have hoped for and more," Marcus said warmly, standing up. "Well I think we've sat around long enough. Let's head upstairs and see what the day has to offer us."

"Alright, sounds good," Labrys responded, smiling as she stood up and followed Marcus over to the elevator.

Who would have believed it: a robotic girl and an aspiring actor relating to each other; what a strange world we live in. Maybe there's a chance things will be better after all... Marcus thought, smiling as the elevator doors closed and brought him and Labrys out of the training room.